


We Depend On You

by notforme



Category: Kamen Rider Gaim
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-07
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-03 19:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1755327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notforme/pseuds/notforme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-series backstory for Takatora and Ryouma first meeting and becoming friends</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by (( http://silverwind.tumblr.com/post/81354894971/silverwind-sources-one-two-snippets-from )) and thinking in ‘what ifs’. Because I’m guessing we’re not going to be getting much more backstory for these two. 
> 
> This is also probably going to get pretty long (if I actually finish it, ha). I’ve outlined about 10 chapters worth so far, but I don’t really have a stopping point, so I might just carry on up to canon times.

_Another term, another year._ The thought that it would be his last at the school should have given Takatora some peace of mind. Yet knowing that he’d be going straight to work alongside his father after graduation, it didn’t exactly leave much to look forward to. He shook off the pessimistic thought as he approached the school gate, glancing down at his watch. _There’s still plenty of time to get to homeroom,_ Takatora thought. _No need to rush._

He took his time strolling up to the main building. The large windows and panes of glass on the front of the pure white building were almost reflective, bouncing the early morning sun out to cast away the mists from the night before. Taking in a deep breath, Takatora could fully appreciate all the individual scents drifting through the air - freshly cut grass, flowers just beginning to bloom. Blossom petals littered the edges of the pathway he walked down, the occasion strong spring breeze causing them to break apart from their branches.

There weren’t as many students around as Takatora would have thought. It seemed that most had gone to their classes early to catch up with friends and start a new year on time. Some younger students were standing around in the locker area just in the entranceway of the main building, chatting idly. They quietened as Takatora approached, bowing to him before scurrying away.

He took his card out from his blazer pocket and held it up to the scanner on his locker. The school ID card had all the necessary information on it; name, date of birth, class, an embarrassing picture taken in the first year. Students used them for all sorts of things, such as buying food and taking out library books, but were most commonly used for the lockers. It opened with a click, revealing his pair of indoor school shoes, which he swapped for his outdoor ones.It hadn’t been a long time off – the break between one school year and the next was only a few weeks – but as he slid the shoes onto his feet, it felt that not even a day had passed.

 

* * *

 

The door gave off a potent scent of freshly applied gloss as Takatora slid it open. Several people called out his name as he made his way to his desk in the middle of the room; some giving him a wave, others a smile, the more formal students bowing in his direction.

In the seat behind his, a girl sat slumped over her desk, arms dangling down the front. “Yo, Takatora,” she sounded still half asleep, dragging up a sluggish hand as a kind of wave.

“She didn’t get enough sleep, as always,” a boy wearing thin, black glasses beside her laughed, greeting Takatora with a quick bow.

“It’s not my fault!” the girl retorted, her voice muffled by the table as she made no effort to move. “They shouldn’t make school start so early.”

“You say the same thing at the start of everything year, Tomiko,” he sighed, shaking his head with a smile.

Takatora laughed as he placed his bag lightly on the table, taking out his books and placing them on top. A sudden hand clasped down onto his shoulder, causing him to jerk around in surprise.

“Hey, Takatora! Do anything nice in the weeks off?” a boy, far too energetic for that time of the morning, beamed. “My family and I went to stay in one of our holiday homes in France. It was kind of boring, though. There’s never much to do... The weather wasn’t great, either,” he rubbed the back of his head with an arrogant grin, running his fingers through a messy mop of - clearly dyed - light brown hair. “Well, I suppose that’s because it’s only April, you can’t expect too much.” He turned to the girl behind, leaning his forearm on Takatora’s shoulder, “Go anywhere nice, Tomiko?”

The girl finally dragged herself up from her desk, a book shaped indentation marked lightly on the side of her face. “Boasting as always,Shiro,” she laughed. “But, no. My mother and father were too busy with ‘important business work’ for us to go away anywhere,” she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers, pulling a face of annoyance. “I was so bored! I barely did anything remotely productive,” she slammed an elbow down onto the desk, resting her chin in the upturned palm of her hand.  “What about you, Naoki? You must have had more fun than us.”

The bespectacled boy, who spoke to her just a few moments before, stopped unpacking his things and turned to face the trio, “I went on a business trip with my father.” He pushed his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. “It was anything _but_ fun.”

“Well, Takatora?” the light haired boy removed his arm from Takatora’s shoulder and plopped down into the seat next to his. “Surely you went somewhere grand? Oh, I guess it’s important for your family to stay in the city, right..?”

“Yeah,” Takatora nodded reluctantly, saying no more as he settled himself onto the cold surface of the metallic chair. He could barely remember the last time he went on a holiday. _The last time must have been before mother…_ Takatora shook off the thought before it could develop further. Still, the only times he could remember going anywhere with his father was if he went on a business trip to some foreign country or another and he had somehow managed to convince his father to take his two sons along with. But even then, they barely saw him. They’d spend the whole time surround by the select few maids their father would choose to accompany them, while the rest remained to keep the mansion in order. It was practically the same as staying at home for the boys, just in a different location.

The room began to quieten and conversations died out as the homeroom teacher strode into the room, the heels of her shoes clicking against the white marbled tiles of the floor. She carefully placed her various notes and books onto the desk at the front, before turning to face the sea of fresh faced students in front of her. Several sported new haircuts, styled to near perfection with, what smells like, a range of expensive products.

The teacher delicately tucked some of her shoulder length, light brown hair behind an ear – her freshly manicured nails catching the light coming in from the open windows, brining in with it the crisp spring breeze. She flattened out some of the creases in her short, black skirt and readjusted her white and grey pinstripe blouse, decorated with ruffles. She cleared her throat to silence the few remaining speakers. “Welcome back, everyone. I hope you have a pleasant time off. As you’re all well aware this is you’re last year, therefore-” She began to run through the usual, generic speech, waving a finger in front of the students to emphasise certain points.

Takatora stopped paying attention after the first few sentences. He glanced around the room and focused in on the few remaining conversations, now spoken in mere whispers. Tales of lavish holidays and the latest business deals of their parents’ companies were all the other students seemed to talk about. He was used to this – the constant boasting of his peers – always trying to outrank each other in terms of wealth and social status. Takatora never really saw the point, but then again, he was at the top of it all. Everyone already knew of his family, how much power and control they had over the city. After introducing himself to someone for the first time, they knew. It’s impossible to hide a surname, after all - especially when his father owns the school and, not to mention, the entire city itself – the Kureshima name is a commonplace.

“So now,” the teacher began finishing up her speech. “I have someone to introduce to you… You can come in,” she called over to a figure stood waiting outside the door.

The room filled with whispers and turning heads, all eyes on the door as it slowly began to open.

“Hey, did you know we’d been getting transfer student?” Tomiko prodded Takatora’s back, keeping her voice quiet enough to mix in with the low buzz of the other students.

“No...” Takatora trailed off, keeping his eyes fixated on the slowly opening door.

A boy shuffled awkwardly into the room. The most notable thing about him was his hair. It fell down to just above his shoulders; completely black except for a single white streak through his fringe. One side was tucked behind his ear, pierced with a single silver ring. There was an air of uncertainty about him as he walked up beside the teacher, dragging his feet a little. _Was it nerves? Or was it arrogance?_ He didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the room; instead focusing on readjusting the position of the books he was carried in his arms. One, two, three books he held in his grasp. Two looked to be some kind of textbook, but not ones the school used for their teaching. The other was more of a notebook, in considerably worse condition that the other two, with loose sheets sticking out at angles. He also wore a pair of silver framed glasses that seemed maybe a little too large for his face. His overall appearance was odd to say the least.

“Now, everyone,” the teacher held up her hand to reclaim everyone’s attention. “This is Sengoku Ryouma and he’s going to transferring into the class as of today.”

Ryouma bowed his head ever so slightly, more of a nod, and looked up to watch the sea of faces observing him with hawk like eyes.

“I know it’s a weird time to be transferring to a new school, but do your best to make him feel welcome.” She turned to face Ryouma, “Since it’s the last year, you needn’t worry about joining any clubs. I’m sure most of the students will be attending clubs less as the year progresses in favour of studying.”

Ryouma simply nodded.

“Now, there’s a free seat over there,” she pointed towards a spare desk near the front of the class, two rows in from the window. “Oh, and if you need anything or have any questions, Takatora over there is our class representative and the head of the Student Council. Any queries, any problems, he’ll be able to help you.”

Takatora jumped slightly in his seat at the sudden mention of his name, quickly covering it as he shuffled in his chair. He tried to meet the transfer student’s eyes to offer him a friendly smile, but the boy seemed to be more interested in pulling at the sleeves of his blazer and looking down at the ground. _He certainly is strange…_ Takatora could help but think. _I wonder where he lived before coming here-_ Takatora stopped his thoughts suddenly, realising he was already beginning to look down on the new student before he’d even said a single word. _I’m just like the rest of this lot, aren’t I?_

“Well,” the teacher continued. “I think that’s about everything. Anything you’d like to add, Ryouma?”

He shook his head.

“Right then, if you’d like to take your seat over there, we’ll begin the lesson. If anyone has any questions for Ryouma, I’m sure he’ll answer them during the break. For now, I’ll do the register,” she announced as she began to read off a series of names.

Takatora, like the rest of the students, continued to watch the new addition to the class with keen interest as he made his way to the free desk. He still didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and didn’t seem to take notice of the whispered conversations about him, as he began to lay his books out in from of him and took his seat.

 

* * *

 

“Doesn’t he seem, I don’t know… _off_ to you?” Shiro faced the three of his friends, their desks pushed together in a square formation, as he took a mouthful of rice.

“I thought the same! He barely bowed at all, and did you see they way he didn’t even acknowledge Takatora? What a nerve!” Tomiko began to get irate, jabbing the air with her chopsticks as she spoke.

“He’s probably just nervous,” Naoki said reasonably, picking at his remaining salad. “It’s a perfectly natural reaction to being put in the front of a room full of people you’ve never met. You’d be nervous in that situation, too, Tomiko.”

“Sure, but even if you’re nervous you wouldn’t act that way,” she said determinedly, leaning forward across the tables. “You’d make the effort to appease those you’re being greeted to and carry yourself with some honour!”

“Hm, maybe he hasn’t been taught that…” Shiro suggested between mouthfuls. “Takatora, you must know something about him. Where’s he from?”

“He said he wasn’t aware we’d be getting a transfer student,” Tomiko spoke before Takatora could even open his mouth; he was still chewing on a piece of tofu.

“Eh? But surely your father would have mentioned if you were getting a transfer student in your class, wouldn’t he?” Shiro watched Takatora with a confused expression.

“…He’s been busy lately,” Takatora lied, swallowing his food. Well, it wasn’t really a lie, just not the complete truth. His father was always busy; he simply hadn’t spoken to him for some time. “I don’t know anything about this.”

“Anyway, what about when everyone tried talking to him during the break? He was so dismissive; it was like he didn’t want to know any of us! You can’t put that down to nerves,” Tomiko continued her ranting.

“He was probably just overwhelmed. So many people asking him questions all at once, can you blame him? At any rate, just give him time. I’m sure he’ll come round,” Naoki responded in his usual calm manner and Takatora nodded in agreement.

She sighed, “I don’t understand why you too are defending him. I mean, Takatora, aren’t you annoyed that he blatantly ignored you this morning? I know he’s probably not from anywhere near here, but you’d think he’d have heard of your name by now...”

 _Why did it always come down to that?_ Takatora though bitterly. “Well… I don’t mind, really,” he hesitated before brushing off the comment. “It’s as Naoki said, he probably just needs some time to adjust to things, right?” Takatora turned to Naoki, who nodded back to him.

“Exactly, it’s perfectly reasonable.”

“Well, whatever,” Tomiko gave up and turned back to her lunch, continuing to eat heartedly.

“That white streak in his hair is definitely unnatural, too!” Shiro announced after finishing his first round of rice.

The three turned to stare at him, blank faced. Naoki coughed into his hand.

“ _What?_ …Oh, right. I’m one to talk, aren’t I?” he laughed, running his fingers through his light brown hair as the others nodded. “Anyway, are you sure you don’t know anything about him, Takatora?” Shiro asked, suddenly changing the subject, “anything at all?” He sounded unusually suspicious.

“Nothing,” Takatora found himself repeating what he’d previously said. “I don’t know anything.” He gazed absentmindedly over to the boy in question, sitting alone at his desk. “Maybe I should go over there, try and speak to him… See if he wants to join us or something.”

“What?!” Shiro and Tomiko both exchanged glances. “But he completely ignored you earlier and hasn’t spoken to anyone all day!” Tomiko began to protest as Takatora stood up from his seat.

“It’s worth a try, isn’t it? He might just be uncomfortable around lots of people. Plus, he’s new; he won’t know his way around yet. He’ll need someone to help him, right?” he began to walk away before they could say anything else.

“But-” Shiro cut himself off, hearing a light bout of laughter to his side. “What?” his head snapped towards Naoki’s direction, allowing Takatora to get away.

“Honestly, you two,” Naoki continued to laugh. “Just let him do what he wants.” He could feel the intensity in their glares, but didn’t pay them much more attention as he returned to his lunch.

 

* * *

 

“Um, it’s Ryouma, right?” Takatora hovered in front of the new student’s desk, somewhat awkwardly. “I’m Takatora…”

The boy looked up from the book he was quietly reading as the warm, midday air flowed through the open windows. The rest of the students in the class were sat throughout the room, some grouping their tables together like Takatora’s friends, all eating their lunches. It seemed that Ryouma was too engrossed in his reading to notice.

“I thought I’d wait till everyone else left you alone before I introduced myself. It must be annoying to have so many people around you asking questions, right?” Takatora gave a friendly smile when he met the student’s eyes.

Ryouma instantly looked away, turning the next page of his book over, “I’m not really bothered.”

“Fair enough…” he didn’t really know how to reply. “Oh, have you been shown around by anyone yet? The school’s quite big; it must be so confusing if you’re new. It all looks so similar,” Takatora smiled as he looked down at his watch. “Hm, we should have enough time before lesson starts. I can give you a quick tour around if you’d like?” He noticed that Ryouma didn’t have any food out on his desk, “I can take you down to the cafeteria and show you where to get something to eat, as well. The food here’s actually pretty good; we have some of the best chefs in the city.”

“It’s fine. I’m sure I can find it myself.”

“Well okay, then. If you need anything, just ask… And you’re welcome to join us, if you want. We’re sat just over there,” he pointed, but Ryouma didn’t look up from his book.

“Thanks,” the word spoken didn’t have any emotion behind it.

 _Wow, he really is as dismissive as Tomiko said…_ Takatora thought as he weaved his way through the tables back to his friends.

“Well, how’d it go?” Shiro looked up from his second, maybe even third, round of rice.

Takatora sighed, sinking down into his seat, “He’s as you said…”

“I told you,” Tomiko seemed satisfied with herself as she popped a cherry tomato in her mouth. “You shouldn’t bother with him.”

Takatora looked over at Naoki, who simply nodded. “Give him time.”

 

* * *

 

“Okay, that should be enough for today,” the teacher announced as the bell rang to signify the end of the school day. He slowly collected his things from the desk and walked out of the room, as uninterestingly as the lesson itself was.

“Aah~! First day’s finally over!” Shiro reclined back in his chair, arms stretched towards the white panelled ceiling, not a stain or mark in sight. “I forgot how mind numbingly boring Mr. Honda’s history lessons are!”

“I could feel myself dozing off when he started talking about the Meiji period,” Tomiko yawned. “I’m surprised I even managed to stay awake.”

“As are we,” Naoki laughed. “How much sleep did you actually get last night?”

“I don’t know I lost track of time after watching some of the old Gaki no Tsukai No Laughing Batsu Games. Hamada got hit nearly 200 times!” She laughed, remembering the hilarities she had watched the night before.

“Yeah, you look a bit like him too. Hamada, I mean.” Shiro leant against Takatora, forearm on his shoulder again.

“What, How do I?! You’re saying I look like a gorilla?!”

“You’re insulting yourself there,” Naoki pointed out from beside her.

“Don’t you think Takatora would be Tanaka, then? If he was to be anyone, it’d be Tanaka,” Shiro ignored Tomiko’s questions.

“How does he?” she huffed.

“Actually, that I can see,” Naoki stepped forward. “Tall, thin, long dark hair-“

“Hey, I am here, you know!” Takatora laughed and the others joined in. They continued to chat idly as they collected up their things, along with the rest of the students.

“Hey, where do you think he’s off to in such a hurry?” Tomiko nodded towards the door.

Takatora looked over just in time to see Ryouma hurrying out, having collected all his things as soon as the bell started ringing, and made it out the doorway while everyone was still packing up. “…I don’t know,” Takatora thought out loud.

“I’m telling you he’s weird,” Shiro said. Judging by the reaction of the rest of the students in the class, now exchanging glances and gossiping loudly, they all agreed.

 

* * *

 

“Did you have a nice first day back, young master?” the well dressed butler asked, a genuine smile causing the wrinkles of his ageing skin to show prominently, as he opened the car door for Takatora to step into.

“It was okay, thank you, Jii,” Takatora smiled at the elderly man as he seated himself in the back of the car.

Jii closed the door once more and rounded the large vehicle to the driver’s seat. “Are you still happy for me to park here, young master? Are you sure you do not want me to pick you up outside the school? It would be far less for you to walk.”

“You’re over exaggerating, Jii. It’s really not that far. Besides, you wouldn’t even be able to move the car if you picked me up outside the school; everyone would be crowding round the car, trying to catch a glimpse of my father, as if he’d actually be here,” he scoffed.

“I think you are the one exaggerating now, young master,” Jii smiled in the rear-view mirror as he began to drive out of the back alley he parked down. “I’m sure the students wouldn’t be that bad.”

“You don’t know what they’re like, Jii. But maybe you’re right. They’d probably just stand there and gawk. I know I should be used to that by now, but it’s still tiring.”

“Whatever you wish, young master. I have no problem picking you up from here, but in the winter months, I must insist I pick you up closer to the building. I wouldn’t want you to get ill from the harsh weather.”

“Jii,” Takatora shook his head, but couldn’t help smiling. The butler had always been kind to him and he appreciated him more than the man could ever imagine. “You know that’s ridiculous. It’s really not _that_ far.”

“Well, you can’t fault an old butler for worrying about your health, young master.”

 _Someone has to_ , Takatora though. _That’s what he’s thinking, but he can’t say it._

The rest of the car ride didn’t last that long but Takatora enjoyed listening to the butler wittering away about his day of cleaning and shopping. He always loved hearing of his mundane activities; it was a nice break between the constant gloating of his schoolmates and the melancholy silence of his home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remembered the promotional video for Gaim where Takasugi Mahiro (Mitsuzane) said that his favourite Kamen Rider was Knight, so I had to...

_There’s definitely something weird about him_ , Takatora decided. He’d spent most of the lesson watching Ryouma instead of paying attention to the teacher. Not deliberately, more an unconscious decision. Well, maths never was the most interesting of subjects. _Shiro was right, though. There is something off about him._

From where he sat, all Takatora could see of the boy was the back of his head. His hair was cut somewhat unevenly around his neck with stray hairs and split ends coming off in different directions. It wasn’t _awful_ , but when compared to the other immaculate nature of the other students, it was less than satisfactory. The single white streak at the front was hidden from Takatora’s view. A _nother mystery; it couldn’t be natural but why dye just one streak? And why white?_

It looked as if Ryouma wasn’t even paying attention to the lesson. He sat at his desk, fully consumed in his books, writing in the same clustered notebook he carried with him on Monday. It appeared to be full of handwritten notes and, what looks like, a series of scientific sketches and diagrams, but Takatora couldn’t see clearly from this distance.

It had been five days since the beginning of term, and Ryouma’s first day, but he still hadn’t spoken to anyone; continuing in his dismissive ways. Most people had already written him off as plain rude and decided to just leave him be, but Takatora didn’t want to be as quick to judge as his peers.

“Ryouma, do you know the answer?”

Takatora jumped as the female teacher suddenly picked on Ryouma, testing to see if he was paying attention. He wasn’t, not in the slightest, but he didn’t startle all the same.

“What?” Ryouma paused his writings, pen still poised against a page in his notebook. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“Well…” the teacher clearly wasn’t expecting such a frank reply. “You should have been.” She held up the textbook in her hand, open on a page about quadratic equations and repeated the question again.

Ryouma paused for a mere second, lifting the pen up from the page to his chin, and gave the correct answer with ease.

The other students in the class began to whisper to each other and the teacher stood dumbfounded. “…They were right about you,” she muttered under her breath.

Ryouma turned back down to his book, ignoring the other students around him, and continued writing.

As the teacher silenced the students and carried on teaching, Takatora remained focused on Ryouma. _How did he solve such a long, complicated question both in his head and so quickly…? He wasn’t even paying attention during the lesson… Maybe he learnt it before, at his previous school… Or maybe he’s really that smart…_ Takatora let his thoughts bounce from one to another until the end of the lesson, having not really been able to focus on the lecture. Luckily, the teacher decided not to pick on him or anyone else to answer anymore questions and let the class leave on time. The same as every day of this first week, Ryouma was the first to leave, rushing out of the room as soon as they were dismissed.

 

* * *

 

“Jii, do you mind if I stop off at a convenience store?”

“But, young master, your father-“

“I know,” Takatora stopped the old butler from speaking further. “I know he wouldn’t approve, but can’t I just go in quickly? I won’t be long, I promise, he’ll never even know.”

“Young master,” Jii sighed. “I must insist… well, what is it you need? I will go and get it for you myself.” He continued to drive along the road, stopping at the red lights. “What is it you are in need off?” he looked into the rear-view mirror at the boy sitting in the back.

“I just wanted to buy something for Mitsuzane. He’s finished his first week of school; I thought it’d be nice to treat him a little.”

“That is very thoughtful of you, young master!” Jii commended. “I will be more than happy to go and buy whatever it is you wish to give him.”

“I’m not sure what to get him… That’s why I’m suggesting that I go, so I can have a look around. My father will never find out we even went; if he does, we can just say that you went and bought it, like you’re suggesting we do.”

Jii sighed deeply, “I am against the idea, young master, but I shall agree just this once since you too have finished your first week of school.”

They weren’t too far from a convenience store, which was either due to luck or the sheer number of them in the area.

Jii drove the car to a stop in the car park, before stepping out and moving swiftly round to Takatora’s door. He opened it with a gloved hand and held it there until the boy was fully out. “Do you have your card with you?”

“Yes. I won’t be long,” Takatora walked off briskly towards the store. He wanted to take his time, cherish the moment. There was something exhilarating about his adventure. Doing something as simple as going into a convenience store shouldn’t be such an event, but knowing that he wasn’t allowed - wasn’t suppost to be there - made it one. He picked out the details nobody would have noticed. The way the automatic doors paused for a split second before sliding opening fully; the small hairs and bits of dust that collected in the fibres of the mat just beyond the entrance. The way one of the lights overhead was a shade or two dimmer than the others; the low, barely audible humming noise it made, that would probably get annoying after a few minutes. He picked out the excitement on a baby’s face, playing with a small tin foil wrapper found on the floor, while the mother checked the expiry dates on two cartons of milk. He picked out a boy struggling to carry an armful of vegetables, eventually dropping some loose tomatoes onto the floor. One rolled to a stop by Takatora’s feet. So lost in his thoughts, it wasn’t until he picked it up and handed it to the boy that he recognised him - the new transfer student, Ryouma.

He must have recognised Takatora at around the same time, quickly accepting the tomato and moving away, nearly dropping them again in his haste.

“Hang on, I’ll get a basket.” Takatora dashed off towards the entrance and returned a moment later, basket in hand. “Here.”

Ryouma released the sea of vegetables into the basket and accepted the handle off Takatora. “Thanks,” his voice was soft, a near whisper, as he turned away briskly.

“That’s a lot of vegetables you’ve got there,” Takatora walked down the isle beside him, initially jogging to catch up. “I’m Takatora, remember? From school…” he didn’t mean for that to come out as awkwardly as it sounded, but the whole situation did feel forced.

“I remember.” Ryouma continued to walk down the isle, looking at the prices of the large selection of bread.

“So, you live near here?” Takatora tried to strike up a conversation, which was proving exceedingly difficult, still only managing to obtain a word or two in response.

“I think…” Ryouma wasn’t really paying attention.

“You think..? You mean you don’t know?” Takatora tried to figure out the boy was saying, but the meaning was lost to him.

They eventually came to the isle of sweets and chocolate. Takatora paused, trying to decide on what to buy Mitsuzane. The shelves were filled with a vibrant selection of bright packaging, colours popping out everywhere; his eye was drawn to a million different places all at once. _What would Mitsuzane like…?_ As Takatora contemplated his brother’s tastes, he noticed that Ryouma had continued to walk off without him. _Well he’s certainly social._

Grapes, Mitsuzane likes grapes. Hi-Chews, perfect. Grape flavoured Hi-Chews. Before moving on, he spotted the shelves of mystery figure boxes. He knelt down to the floor, browsing the selection, before finding a row of Kamen Rider Tokusatsu Heroes boxes. _Perfect! He’ll love one of those._

After picking a box at random, Takatora made his way to the checkout, and waited to be served.

Ryouma was just in front of him, setting his basket down onto the till, watching the server slowly swiping his items one by one through the machine. He felt through his pockets, trying to locate the money he thought he’d placed there- _Not there. The money’s not there!_ He must have left it behind this morning. He placed his hands over his eyes. _You had one job._ Trying not the cause too much of a scene, he apologised, explaining to the server he had no money to pay and to cancel the sale.

Takatora overheard the commotion and stepped forward. “It’s okay, I’ll pay,” he reached his hand down to pull out his card from his blazer pocket.

Ryouma turned in surprised. “What? No, you can’t-! It’s fine really. It was my fault for forgetting my money,” he continued to strongly object to allowing Takatora to pay, but the boy stepped forwards anyway.

“It’s no problem,” Takatora gave him a smile as he laid his items onto the till for the server to scan and took out his card. It looked just like a credit card in shape, but completely gold in colour, and sported the Yggdrasill company logo in white across the back. He held the card flat over the scanner, waiting for the light to turn green and beep, before sliding back into his pocket again.

The server handed Ryouma his things, got a separate bag for Takatora, and began serving the customers behind them.

“You really didn’t have to…” Ryouma said sheepishly as he walked behind Takatora to the doors.

“It’s fine, honestly. Don’t worry about it.” Takatora smiled at the boy as he walked out into the car park.

“I’ll pay you back!” Ryouma called after him, still standing in the doorway.

“You really don’t have to.” Takatora waved to him as he got into the car, “I’ll see you on Monday.” _Why was he so bothered about such a meagre amount of money? It was hardly worth paying back, but the boy seemed so insistent._

“A friend of yours..?” Jii asked as he got into the driver’s sat and started the engine.

“Yeah, from school - he transferred here on Monday,” Takatora clipped his seatbelt into place. “Jii, you don’t know anything about him, do you? Did father mention anything to you or..?”

“Ah, I’m afraid not, young master. I don’t know much about what happens up at the school.”

 _Worth a try_ , Takatora thought as they began to drive back to the mansion.

 

* * *

 

 Takatora tapped three times against the door before pushing it open lightly with his free hand. He tried to stop the little plastic bag behind his back from rustling too much as he entered the room.

Mitsuzane was sat at his desk, tutor by his side, listening to the pointy nosed woman reading a passage from a text book. Noticing his brother standing in the doorway, he jumped up from his seat and bounded straight over.

“Nii-san, you’re home!”

Takatora smiled at the young boy barely 7 years old. “How was school today? Did you have lots of fun?” he knelt down to his brother’s height, crouching in front of the boy.

“It was okay,” Mitsuzane raised a finger up to his mouth, biting down on it slightly

“Have you made any friends yet?” Takatora asked gently, resting a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“Um…Well-” he looked down at the floor.

“It’s alright. It takes everyone a while at first. Don’t worry about it, okay? You’ll make plenty of friends in no time,” he lifted his brother head up to look him in the eyes and smiled softly.

The younger boy nodded, though he still looked unsure.

“I’ve got something for you,” Takatora announced, causing Mitsuzane’s eyes to light up back to their usual brightness.

“What is it? What is it?” he began to jump up and down, finding it hard to remain still.

“Here…” Takatora brought the little plastic bag out from behind his back, setting on the carpet in front of him. He reached down and pulled out the purple packet of sweets he bought earlier.

“Thank you, Nii-san!” Mitsuzane called out, taking the packet from his brother, eagerly ripping off the outer packaging and discarding it to the floor as he took out a sweet.

The tutor began to rush over to the two from the desk. “Young master, your dinner will be prepared shortly. Your father won’t be pleased to hear that you were too full to eat your meal-“

“It’s fine, he’ll only have a few,” Takatora assured the aging woman. “You’ll only have a few, Mitsuzane, won’t you?”

The boy nodded enthusiastically, but he wasn’t playing attention. “Here, Nii-san, open wide!” he unwrapped one of the sweets from its paper and held it up for his brother to take.

“Aaan~” Takatora opened his mouth and bit the sweet right out of Mitsuzane’s grasp, making the boy to giggle.

“I bought you something else, as well,” Takatora began to rummage through the bag once more; chewing on the sweet, an overwhelming grape flavour dancing along his taste buds. “Close your eyes.”

Mitsuzane screwed his eyes shut tightly.

“Hold out your hand… Ready?” he waited a few moments before dropping a small box into his brother’s hand.

“Can I open my eyes now?” Mitsuzane asked, feeling the weight in his palm.

“Yep”

“A Kamen Rider Tokusatsu Heroes box!” Mitsuzane cried out in happiness, eagerly turning the box over in his hands to see the small pictures of the available figures to get inside.

“Go on then, open it! Let’s see who we get,” Takatora watched as Mitsuzane ripped open the cardboard box, about an index finger long, and pulled out the inner plastic surrounding the miniature figure.

“It’s Knight!” Mitsuzane continued to rip off the plastic in a frenzy, revealing the Kamen Rider Knight figure; complete with iconic pose and flowing dark blue cape.

“Ah, he’s your favourite, right?”

“Un!”

Takatora laughed as he ruffled his brother’s hair. Watching him getting so excited over something so small always filled him with a sense of joy. “Have you finished all your work yet?” he looked up to the tutor hovering impatiently behind the pair.

“We’re nearly finished, just a few more questions to answer.” She looked down to the youngest boy who was now completely distracted by the figure in his hand. “I was hoping we’d be done before dinner.”

“Well, you best get back to it, then,” Takatora smoothed down his brother’s hair as he stood up, much to the boy’s protests. “It’s better just to get it over with. I have work to do, as well, so I’ll see you at dinner, okay?”

Mitsuzane grumbled. “Fine…”

“Good boy.” He smiled to the tutor as she took the boy’s hand and walked him back to the desk; his eyes still glued to the figure in his hand, grinning widely.

 

* * *

 

He passed his father’s room on the way down the hallway to his own. Light poured out of the crack in the door frame where the dark wooden door lay partially open.

“Takatora”

He heard a voice call his name. Turning where he froze, Takatora could see his father sitting on the sofa in his room; a drink in hand

“Come in,” his father’s voice was strong, powerful, but emotionless all the same. It was a tone that Takatora never understood how he achieved.

He pushed the door the remainder of the way open and stepped into the light of the room. “Yes, father?” His voice came out timid. Shy.

“How has school been? It was your first week back, was it not?” his father ran his fingers through his oiled back hair. Similar to Takatora’s, it was black but had grey strands coating areas, most predominantly across his temples.

“Yes, father. It has been fine, nothing out of the ordinary.” He stood up straighter when talking to his father, remembering his lessons in posture and poise. He made sure to annunciate his words properly and speak clearly, despite the tension showing in his voice, causing it to crack at times.

“That is good. Have you begun your studying yet? I want you to focus on that, and only that, this year, do you understand?” his voice was firm, resolute. There was no way Takatora could defy him.

“Yes, father, I understand.”

“It is time to cast aside childish, useless things. This year is of vital importance and you will do well to prepare.” He didn’t look at Takatora when talking to him, rather watching the dark wine he swirled around in his glass. He brushed a hand along his black suit trousers; one leg crossed over the other and lifted up his foot slightly, inspecting the near reflective surface of his dress shoes.

“Yes, father,” Takatora was repeating the same phrase over and over, it was one he knew wouldn’t anger the man. Being obedient was the best way to deal with him. Takatora bowed before turning to leave.

“Sit down, boy,” his father commanded as Takatora had already moved out into the hallway.

He nodded and returned to the room quickly, sitting down on the sofa opposite his father. His heartbeat the only sound he could hear, a load beating in his ears. It was rare he’d be called in like this, but it was also rare to speak or even see his father at all these days.

“You have a transfer student in your class, do you not? His name is Sengoku Ryouma,” his father fully punctuated the name. “You have seen him, I assume?” he raised an eyebrow towards his son, looking at him for the first time during the conversation.

“Yes, father,” Takatora could feel his father’s eyes burning into him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look.

“Have you spoken to the boy yet?” the man continued to stare at his son, eyes like stone.

“I have exchanged a few words with him.” Takatora’s body felt tense, heavy.

“Good,” he seemed to be satisfied with the reply. “It would do you well to make his acquaintance.” With that, he let his eyes turn back to the wine, downing the last of its contents and setting the glass against the clear table to pour another.

Takatora watched his father begin to drink the newly filled glass. _What does he mean…?_ He couldn’t ask, couldn’t question his father. He could only agree and do as he wishes. But he didn’t understand... “Father, I don’t un-“

“Do not question me, son,” the man silenced Takatora before a question could fully form on his lips. “You can go now.”

Takatora stood and bowed towards his father before making a swift exit.

The older man placed his drink down on the table once more, rubbing a hand over his face, fingers grazing his aging skin and the bags under his eyes.

 _What was that about…?_ Takatora thought as he made his way towards his own room. The remaining corridor seemed to go on forever, stretching around the full length of the mansion; each wall decorated with some kind of mural or extravagant ornament. _Why mention about Ryouma like that…? What does he mean ‘make his acquaintance’…?_ Takatora wished he could find the answers, but knew they weren’t obtainable. He decided to cast the thoughts from his mind, forget them completely. Block it all out. He imagined as if he could see the memory of what just happened in front of him, disappearing as if it had never happened. Everything was much easier that way.

 

* * *

 

Ryouma worked up a sweat as he ran up the seemingly infinite flights of stairs. The muscles and joints in his legs began to ache, either from the sprint up towards the flat or from wondering round the city, not knowing which direction to go for the past hour or two. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, slicking his matted hair out of his face. When he got to the landing outside the flat, he fumbled in his pocket for the key. His hand shook - caused either by the adrenaline pumping through his body or from fatigue - as he unlocked the front door.

“Sorry I’m late!”

“Ryouma! What’s wrong, dear?” the elderly woman looked panicked as the boy burst into the room, causing her to bolt upright in her armchair.

“Are- are you alright, gran?” he took in sharp intakes of breath, trying to refill his lungs.

“I’m fine, dear, but what’s wrong? Has something happened?”

He shook his head, still panting, but seemed relieved. “I’m glad... Are you sure you don’t need me to get you anything?”

“Ryouma, I’m perfectly fine! Honestly,” she laughed but winced slightly as she settled back into her chair. “You didn’t have to run all the way back just to check up on me. I am more than capable of looking after myself, you know.”

Ryouma hesitated but decided not to say anything. Once his breath had returned, he grabbed a hair band from the table, placing it between his teeth as he took a couple of steps into the kitchen. The flat was fairly small, but was a common size for the poorer area of the city. All the rooms kind of connected into one, everything was in reach. “Well, I’ll get started on making dinner, then.”

The elderly woman watched as Ryouma scrapped his hair back into a tight ponytail before shaking off his blazer, throwing it carelessly onto the sofa beside her armchair and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He grabbed the plastic bag by the bottom and tipped out the contents onto the surface.

“Oh, you left your money here this morning,” she pointed to the little collection of coins on the coffee table beside her. “How did you pay for the food?” A sense of concern showed in her voice.

“Someone from school recognised me and offered to pay. It’s okay; I’ll pay him back on Monday,” Ryouma opened the drawers integrated into the counter built against the wall, pulling out a chopping board and a knife.

“Ah, I see,” she settled back against her chair again with a smile. “I’m glad that you’re making such lovely friends already.”

“He’s not really a friend…” Ryouma muttered, thinking she wouldn’t hear.

“Come now, Ryouma. There’s no need to continue being so stubborn.”

“But there’s no point in trying to make friends, I’m only going to be at the school for a year. I’ll just get through it and then leave.”

The elderly woman sighed. “The year will pass by a lot quicker if you made friends. You’ll enjoy yourself more; everyday won’t feel like such a task.”

Ryouma ignored her comments and began to make the preparations for their dinner. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get them by, so he couldn’t complain. He still wished things were different; how his life was before…


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a 'meh' chapter, apologies.

Takatora was already in the class by the time Ryouma arrived. He was sat at his desk, back to the door, speaking with his usual trio of friends. The girl was slumped over desk, which tended to be her default position until lunch, and the two boys seemed to be laughing with Takatora.

There was still a few minutes until the day officially began, but most of the students were already sat in their places, chatting idly with those around them.

“Yeah, but didn’t…” the light-haired boy trailed off, causing the conversation to stutter to a halt, as he greeted Ryouma with a strange look, as he approached.

“It’s Ryouma, right?” the bespectacled boy said, giving Ryouma a smile.

“Ryouma?” Takatora turned to find the boy waiting awkwardly in front of his desk, stood holding his hands clasped in front of him.

Life returned to the girl, lifting her head up from the desk at the mention of his name.

“Here,” Ryouma thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out the change within. “This should be the right amount.”

“You really didn’t have to pay me back, you know…” Takatora smiled, now turning around fully in his chair.

“Huh? What’s this?” the girl peered around Takatora to see Ryouma with his hand still outstretched.

“I said I would,” Ryouma thrust his hand towards Takatora again and finally got him to take the change.

“100, 500, 700… 790 yen?!” the nosy girl moved round to the front of Takatora’s desk, counting out the money in his palm. “Why would Takatora need this?” say placed a hand on her hip.

“Well, he paid for my shopping on Friday… I said I’d pay him back, it’s only fair,” Ryouma explained, albeit still a little shy.

“Didn’t you pay on your card, Takatora?” the light-haired boy next to him asked.

“Yeah”

“Well, why would he need to pay you back, then?” he was talking to Takatora as if Ryouma wasn’t stood right there in front of them - only looking at him occasionally to give what Ryouma judged as a hostile glare.

“I told him he didn’t have to-“

“Even so, he still paid for it so I’ll pay him back,” Ryouma interrupted their conversation to get his point across, beginning to get confused as to why they struggled to see his logic.

The boy with glasses let out a sigh as he sat back in his chair. He had been silent the whole time and decided to flick through one of the school text books, clearly showing no interest in joining in the discussion.

“What do you think, Naoki?” the other boy turned to face him.

“Yeah, you’re always the voice of reason,” the girl chipped in.

Naoki sighed as he turned the page of his book, “I’m not getting involved.”

“Huh? What does that mean?” she moved round to his desk, both hands now placed on her hips.

“It means what I said.”

Takatora’s friends began to bicker amongst themselves, turning their attention away from Ryouma and finally giving Takatora the chance to talk to him. “Sorry about them…But thanks,” he held up the change in his hand before pocketing it. “Did you manage to get home alright after I left? I realise I probably should have made sure you knew where you were going...”

Ryouma laughed as he tucked some hair behind his ear. “Yeah, I did get a little lost, but I found my way eventually.”

“Well, if you like, I could give you a tour around the city after school. It seems confusing at first, but when you get used to the structure of the city, you’ll find your way in no time,” he gave Ryouma a warm smile.

“Er… I don’t-,” Ryouma stuttered, initially wanting to decline.

“If you’re busy, it’s fine,” Takatora tried to relieve some of the pressure off him. “I just thought it’d help you not get lost next time.”

Ryouma remembered what his gran had said the previous week. _Maybe she’s right, maybe making friends will make the year go quicker… and Takatora did help me out the other day…_ “Okay, after school today’s fine.”

“Great! I’ll wait for you then.”

The bell rang as the teacher entered the room, causing the few standing students to scatter to their seats, Ryouma moving with them.

 

* * *

 

The tour had lasted nearly an hour by the time the two made it to the shopping district. The sun was now beginning to set in the sky, reflecting a warm orange glow off the giant glass structure that was the main shopping centre. It was several stories high and Ryouma had to strain his neck to try and see the top. The whole area around the building had been pedestrianised, allowing smaller shops to open up along the sides. It wasn’t as busy as it usually was. As evening approached, the crowds had begun to thin out; it was only Monday, after all.

Takatora had spoken for the most part of their journey, pointing out things of interest as they walked from the school to the shopping district. Ryouma thought it best just to keep quiet and let him do most of the talking. He still felt somewhat nervous around the people of this city, or maybe just around those who attended the school. There seemed something different about them. He didn’t know much about the school itself, only that it was one of the most prestigious in the country. It had the highest grades, the most expensive fees and most of the top businessmen in the country attended during their teenage years. Despite the high status of all the students, something felt weird about them. The things they talked about, the way they acted with each other. There was a kind of inhuman quality to them, something that Ryouma couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“So, where did you live before here, then?” Takatora eventually asked. He probably wanted to avoid asking him the same questions that Ryouma had been pestered with constantly on his first few days, but his curiosity must have got the better of him.

“Just somewhere in the countryside,” Ryouma was still being somewhat dismissive in his responses, but found himself feeling a little more talkative around his latest acquaintance. “There’s not much to say about the place, really. It’s nothing like this city.”

“Ah, right. It must be quite disorientating, then, suddenly coming here to one of the largest cities in the country,” Takatora mused as their walking came to a stop. “Oh, do you mind if we stop by the bookshop? There are a couple of things I need to buy.”

“Sure,” Ryouma nodded as he followed Takatora into the store.

 

* * *

 

“Whoa, this place is huge!” Ryouma exclaimed, causing Takatora to turn and watch his open mouthed expression.

“Is it? This is a standard size… There’s another not too far from here, and a few other places have selections of a similar size to this.” Takatora informed him, a little taken aback by his outburst.

“Really?! That’s amazing…” Ryouma strode past Takatora and began to make his way down one of the isles. “How far does it go back?” he peered around the next corner, noting the tall shelves of books that continued on into the distance.

“A little bit longer, there’s a downstairs area, as well. It has a café and a place for people to sit and read,” he watched Ryouma’s expression, his eyes seemingly full of life, darting around to read some of the titles on the paperbacks. “..Didn’t you have anything like this where you lived before?”

“Not really. We had one little bookshop, but it was nowhere near this size.” Ryouma scooted off down the next isle, making Takatora pick up his pace to catch up with him.

Takatora had never seen Ryouma look as excited as he was now - this was the first time he’d seen him passionate about anything - he wasn’t quite sure how to react. “Well, you wait around here... I just need to go buy some text books for school; there’s one that I couldn’t get before. Actually, do you have any of the school’s textbooks yet?”

“Eh? I need specific ones?” Ryouma was only half listening to Takatora, but a sense of panic ran through him as Takatora listed off the different types of books that are apparently required for the lessons.

“Two science ones, a Japanese one, two maths ones and a couple of others. I have most of them, but they ran out of the Japanese books when we tried to buy them before. They should have them in stock by now… Didn’t anyone tell you that you’d need them?”

“No…I only moved here a few days before starting school, so I wasn’t really told anything.” Ryouma turned back to the rows of books and grimaced slightly at the prices on the labels. It wasn’t that the books were ridiculously expensive - even for him the prices were fairly reasonable - but the amount of books he’d need to buy would rack up a large bill in no time.

“Oh, the school should have provided them for you since you’re new... Anyway, you have a look round here. I’ll be back in a minute,” Takatora walked off towards the back of the shop, most of the school textbooks must be kept back there.

Ryouma sighed as he continued to walk down the isle. _How am I going to afford all those books? Do I really need them..? Would anyone even notice that I didn’t have them?_ Worries filled his head as he browsed through the books stacked high either side of him. He took a few off the shelves that piqued his interest and flicked through the first few pages. There were some interesting topics here, but Ryouma decided to wait for another time before getting too into his search.

Takatora returned after a few minutes, carrying two separate bags filled with books.

“I-Is that how many textbooks you need?!” Ryouma let the fear in his voice show through more than he would have liked.

Takatora laughed, “Of course not! My books are in here,” he held up the one bag that looked considerably lighter than the other. “These are for you. Here,” he thrust the weighty bag towards Ryouma.

“What-?” Ryouma took the bag and peered inside. “You can’t! I mean, it must have cost a fortune!”

“Nonsense, I paid for it on my card,” Takatora shook off Ryouma’s refusal and started to walk out of the shop, making Ryouma jog after him this time.

“But you didn’t have to. I mean, why should _you_ have to buy them? You said the school should provide them!”

“What’s the difference?” Takatora laughed, but Ryouma didn’t really understand what he meant. “You’ll need them for tomorrow’s lessons and they might not have any left when you next come in… At any rate, I’ve already bought them and now… we’ve left the shop,” he said decisively as they walked out into the street once more.

“Thanks…” Ryouma said quietly from behind him, holding the bag of books against his chest to act as a shield from the bitter wind that had started to pick up.

“It’s getting late; we should probably head home now. I’ll phone to be picked up and we’ll give you a lift home, too. You know the address of where you live, right?” Takatora turned to Ryouma as he pulled out his phone.

Ryouma nodded hesitantly. He really didn’t want Takatora to see where he lived. He didn’t know exactly why that was, but since coming to the school - famous for its high calibre students - his instincts told him to keep his background a secret. As Takatora moved to make the call, Ryouma found his voice. “Actually, it’s fine. I’ll just walk.”

“But you don’t know your way yet, do you? My tour surely wasn’t _that_ good! Don’t worry, it’s fine. It’s no bother, really.”

Ryouma shuffled uncomfortably as Takatora began to make the call. He stepped away from Ryouma, but he could still hear most of the conversation.

“Jii, can you come pick us up now?” he faced away from Ryouma as he spoke.

_‘Jii’..? Does he call his father by his first name? Or is he a sibling..?_

“Okay, we’ll see you there… What? No, tell him to stay… No… Tell him I said… Tell him I’ll see him soon. Okay, bye,” Takatora hung up the call and turned back to Ryouma.

“Is everything okay?” Ryouma asked casually, trying not to sound too intrusive.

“Yeah,” Takatora laughed, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “It’s just my younger brother. He’s insisting that he comes with to pick us up. I told him I’ll see him when I get back shortly, but he’s always been impatient. Don’t worry, though, he’s staying at home.”

“Oh, right,” Ryouma nodded. _So Takatora has a younger brother._

“We better get moving. We’ll get picked up just around the corner. Don’t worry, it’s only a short walk,” he nodded to the bag of books that Ryouma still held tight against him and smiled.

 

* * *

 

“Ah, young master. Apologies for the delay, the traffic was dreadful,” the elderly man bowed to Takatora, taking the bag of books out of his hand and opening the car door. “Oh, you have a friend with you,” he looked up to find Ryouma looking uncomfortable beside Takatora.

“This is Ryouma,” Takatora motioned over to him with his hand. “Is it alright if we take him home?”

“Certainly, young master,” he bowed towards Ryouma who remained somewhat dumbfounded.

 _Why does he keep bowing so low?_ Ryouma found himself bowing back, trying to be polite.

Takatora laughed at him as he stepped into the vehicle.

Ryouma tried to follow, but Jii held out his gloved hand expectantly towards him. There was an awkward moment between them before the elderly man spoke.

“Your bag, young master,” he kept his hand outstretched, waiting for the exchange.

“Oh, um, it’s fine. I’ll keep a hold of it.”

“As you wish,” the man closed the door behind him and moved around to the driver’s seat.

Ryouma settled into one of the leather backed seats and placed his bag beside him. _Who is that man in relation to Takatora..? Why was he treating him like some kind of royalty…?_

It took him a few minutes, lost in his thoughts, before he looked over to Takatora and caught him looking at him with a bewildered look.

“What is it?” Ryouma raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing… Where did you say you lived again?”

Ryouma felt a rush of panic surge though him, face probably turning red. “Um…” he looked out of the window. “Oh, here!”

“Here? Jii, stop the car!” Takatora ordered to the driver, who swiftly pulled over.

“You live here, young master?” Jii questioned, leaning forwards across the wheel to peer further out of the front screen, looking up at the buildings on either side of the road.

“No, but I recognise this place... I can make my way back from here,” Ryouma began to gather up his things as he spoke.

“Are you sure? We can give you a lift to your door, it’s really no problem,” Takatora tried to reason with him, but Ryouma was already set in his ways.

"No, here’s fine. I’ll… I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ryouma make a quick exit from the vehicle before Jii could even step out to hold the door open.

“Okay…” Takatora wasn’t too sure what to make of this sudden departure. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Yeah, um, thanks for the books,” Ryouma waved as he began to walk away.

Takatora continued to watch him for a few moments before sliding the door to a close, the cold air from outside sending a shiver right through him.

“Did that seem a bit strange to you, Jii?” Takatora asked after as the driving resumed.

Jii cleared his throat before opening his mouth to speak, “If I am to be so bold as to say, young master, I believe that you two are quite similar…”

“How do you mean?” Takatora demanded, trying to gauge if he should be offended by the comment. He saw no reason to be, but the way he hesitated opened up some questions.

“Well, I think that you are both hiding something from others… that’s all,” the butler bit his tongue, knowing he may have over stepped the line.

Takatora simply sat quietly, contemplating the man’s words for the rest of the journey. Luckily it didn’t take too long; he was quite tired after all the walking from the day’s events. He could process his thoughts later.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should have mentioned this at the start, but if you have any kind of critique please let me know! I'm still relatively new to writing (as in apart from this and the other fic I've posted, I've only written a single chapter of something else a few years ago) so advice or things to work on would be greatly appreciated.

When Takatora said they should eat outside together, he didn’t realise that meant Ryouma’s books would be joining them as well. He had brought with his entire collection of messy notebooks, cramped full of loose pages, continuing to read, just now out in the warmth of the sun.

“Do you always have to have a book in your hand?” Takatora asked, looking sideways towards the boy as he read.

“Hm?” Ryouma turned to the page, eyes scanning the words written before him. “I always read at lunchtime.”

Takatora leaned back against the bench that the pair had chosen to sit under and thrust his hands into his trouser pockets. He surveyed the area around him; the lush courtyard gardens that the school had to offer were quite breathtaking, especially when the weather was this good. White stone paths ran throughout, all connecting back towards the main building. Each fork off the path led to a smaller, sectioned off island like area, each one with a small tree at its core. The gardeners had planted the trees in a specific pattern, alternating between pink blossom trees and another species that bore green and yellow leaves. Spring had come slightly early this year and the trees were already in full bloom. Beneath every tree lay a single, smooth, oak bench, dedicated to an iconic person in the school’s history, their name carved into a golden plate nailed to the centre. No doubt, one day his father’s name would appear on one – maybe even Takatora’s own, after that – although he’d rather not think about such things.

“What is it that you’re reading anyway?” Takatora finally asked. It had taken him long enough; he’d been trying to work it out since Ryouma’s arrival on the first day. Unfortunately, from the distance he sat away from him in class, he couldn’t tell exactly what it was.

“This?” Ryouma closed the book and held up the front cover for Takatora to read.

He squinted to read the text written across the book, the glare from the sun making it somewhat difficult. He read out the series of kanji in his head, a jumble of complicated scientific words that he didn’t really understand the meaning behind. “…What is it?”

“It’s a book on physics,” Ryouma announced, “dated back a couple of centuries, based on a theory by…” he cut himself short, realising he has already lost Takatora, who sat with a somewhat vacant expression across his on face. “Well, it’s to do with science.”

“Are you interested in that kind of thing?” Takatora realised he probably sounded more condescending than he intended.

“Yeah, well, I’m interested in lots of things, really. I don’t just stick to one topic…” he closed the book and settled it down onto his lap. His attention was caught briefly by the sound of voices a short distance away. He watched the other students moving around the gardens through the small gaps in the plants and bushes surrounding the two. The small, secluded area gave him the confidence to be able to speak further. “What I’m really interested in is research; it’s kind of a hobby of mine.”

The boy smiled as he spoke and Takatora could see that passion sparking in his eyes once more.

“Ah,” Takatora nodded. He didn’t really see the appeal himself, but he nodded nonetheless. “So, you jump from one thing to the next?”

“I suppose. I like stimulation of the mind. I don’t really know how to put it exactly, but I guess I just like to learn about things, discover things and collect information.”

“But you don’t pay attention in lessons,” Takatora said absentmindedly, eyes widening a little when he realised what he’d just said.

Ryouma raised an eyebrow towards him, a small smirk creeping across his lips.

“I mean…” Takatora flushed lightly, “I just… kind of noticed, that’s all.”

Ryouma laughed before looking away. “Well, I guess I don’t exactly find school all that stimulating. It kind of bores me, to be honest… That sounds a really childish thing to say, doesn’t it?

Takatora looked over to him, watching as he tucked some of his shoulder length hair behind one ear. It was only a little bit shorter than his. Their hairstyles were kind of similar in some ways, except Ryouma’s was straighter and cut more unevenly. Takatora’s hair had been purposely styled to look kind of messy, but Ryouma’s seemed to achieve that look through natural means.

“Well, I guess I prefer to do my own research, anyway. Then I can focus on something I find interesting, something more challenging.”

“I guess I can understand that…” Takatora nodded before removing his hands from his pockets and sitting up a little straighter. “Well, we should probably start eating now, right? Lesson starts in about half an hour,” he reached over to pick up the large black lunchbox beside him, placing it on his lap and began to undo the plain white cloth wrapped tightly around it. Glancing towards Ryouma again, he noticed he wasn’t moving to get out his own lunch. “What’s wrong?”

“I forgot my food today. I left in a rush this morning…” Ryouma scratched the back of his head, managing a sheepish smile. “It’s fine, though. I’m used to not eating for a while.”

“Oh, that’s okay, you can share mine. I always have too much, anyway. There’s more than enough for two people.” Takatora opened the lid of the box, splitting it into two separate compartments, both filled with a wide selection of food, ranging from traditional, simple dishes to the more extravagant and expensive ones. Everything was laid out neatly, preserved and arranged in a certain order.

“Whoa!” Ryouma leaned closer to get a better look, trying to stop himself from salivating. “That looks amazing!”

“Here, try some. The onigiri is the best!” Takatora held one half of the box over to Ryouma, waiting for him to take one of the rice balls out from its place beside the other two.

“Are you sure? It is your lunch…”

“It’s fine; there’ll still be plenty left. Here, try some,” he could tell that Ryouma wouldn’t need so much encouragement this time, his eyes were completely focused on the food offered out before him.

And sure enough, he carefully picked up one of the rice balls and brought it to his lips for a small bite.

“What do you think?” Takatora asked as the boy chewed, teeth effortlessly breaking through the crisp seaweed.

“It’s delicious!” his eyes widened as he covered his mouth with his free hand.

Takatora laughed. “There’s a secret ingredient in it that makes it taste better than any shop bought onigiri!” He picked up his own rice ball from the container and took a mouthful.

“It’s really good!” Ryouma continued his compliments as he took another bite. “You’re an incredible cook!”

Takatora nearly choked, spluttering slightly as he gasped for a breath of air. “Huh? You don’t think I made any of this, do you?!” he began to laugh, although he felt a tad guilty for laughing so blatantly in his face.

“What? You didn’t..? Then who did?” Ryouma looked to be somewhat confused as he waited for an answer.

“Our cooks did.”

 “’Cooks’, you have those?” Ryouma asked curiously. He heard the status of his new peers was high, but he never thought they’d have something like cooks. _Don’t they do anything for themselves?_

“Yeah, the cooks prepared it for me. They always make me too much, even if I tell them I can’t eat it all. Here,” he held out a pair of chopsticks for Ryouma to take and took out his own. “They even put in extra chopsticks. I think they just want me to share the food they’ve made.”

“It is really good, though. No wonder they want as many people as possible to eat it,” Ryouma took his last bite of rice and accepted the chopsticks handed to him.

Takatora slid sideways across the bench, making room to place both parts of the box down between them. “Help yourself to the rest, there’s no need to hold back,” Takatora said, using his chopsticks to tuck into some of the other smaller dishes.

“Thanks.” Ryouma did similarly, and the two sat in silence for a few minutes as they worked their way through the feast before them, occasionally making a comment on what they were eating, but it was mostly Ryouma asking Takatora what half the stuff actually was. “So, how many cook do you have? One person couldn’t have made all of this, surely?” Ryouma set down his chopsticks and leaned back against the bench, now completely full.

“Hm, we quite have a few,” Takatora finished his last mouthful. “Each chef specialises in a different area of cooking and cuisine.  Like the pastry chef who does all the deserts, or the fish cook who specialises in seafood, for example.”

“Wow…” Ryouma muttered as Takatora began to list off the different chefs his family owned. “Do you really need that many?” he wasn’t trying to be insulting, more just curious as to if that amount was actually needed

“We probably don’t, really…” Takatora admitted. “But we have the money, so we do.”

Ryouma looked to Takatora, waiting for him to finish his response, expecting more of an explanation that what was given.

"…My family's quite well off, you could say," he eventually continued, a faint smile across his lips, but it didn’t really read as happy. "My father owns the school."

"What," Ryouma almost lunged forwards, " _this_ school?!"

Takatora nodded, "Yeah... He kind of owns the city, too. Yggdrasill, the company that has the most influence over the city, has been in my family for generations. It was founded by one of my ancestors.

Ryouma sat silent in shock, mouth unconsciously open a little as he listened, not knowing what to say or what to ask first.

"You see this?" Takatora pulled out his gold card from his blazer pocket, turning it over to show the famous Yggdrasill logo on the back. "This is the company’s logo. You've probably seen it around, right?"

Ryouma eyes widened, "I have! I wondered what that was..."

"Yggdrasill works on top of the major companies in the city and owns a lot of the smaller ones. You'll find this logo on nearly everything. Food packaging, medicine, household items, it's everywhere."

"So... if your father's the head of Yggdrasill, does that mean you'll be taking over someday?"

Takatora nodded solemnly. "I'm worried, though. The company grows bigger year by year, buying out rival companies and viciously running others out of business. We’ve already started opening up branches in other cities across Japan. My father’s been going abroad a lot, as of late, making political deals with other countries. I... I don't think I'd be able to take over something of that magnitude.”

Ryouma sat quietly, listening to Takatora's worries, contemplating what the right thing to say would be. "...But you're not taking over the company anytime soon, are you? You still have time, right?"

"Well, I won't be taking over until my father dies, of course... But I'll be working alongside him once I finish school."

"At the end of this year?!"

Takatora nodded, "I guess that counts as 'soon', doesn’t it?”

Ryouma was still processing the information, unsure of what to say next. "Couldn't you try and talk to your father? Tell him you're not ready, that you don't want this?"

Takatora began to laugh. "He's not exactly the type of man you can talk to... He just tells me to study; says this year is important and I need to focus on that. He’s already making me study constantly for the final exams and the year’s only just started. But… there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s all out of my control…”

The two sat silently for a few moments.

Takatora let his eyes wander to the forest of greenery in front of him, lost in his thoughts, before fully realising what he’d just been saying. “Oh, sorry for suddenly laying all this on you,” he laughed nervously. “It’s just everyone here already knows about my family and I’m sure most of them would happily kill to be in my shoes. They see me as the future head of Yggdrasill, rather than… well, me. But… you’re different.”

“Different?" Ryouma laughed. "Should I take offense to that?"

"No. Well, I don't know... You’re different to everyone here; you don’t act like them."

"So I’m ‘unique’, then? Or maybe ‘eccentric’," Ryouma suggested with a smile, placing a finger against his chin, “I’ll happily take that.”

The two shared a laugh for a while before Ryouma realised that more time had probably passed than they expected. “Shouldn’t we be getting back now? Lessons start soon, don’t they?”

“Oh, you’re right!” Takatora gasped as he looked down at his watch, the hands showing just a few minutes remaining before the end of lunch. “Do you need a hand carrying your things back?”

"No, it's fine," Ryouma stood and began to arrange his papers in order and tuck them into his books. "I can handle it."

Takatora nodded and began to tidy away his lunch. A fair amount of food still remained. It appeared not even two people could manage the quantity of food the cooks had prepared.

"Ah!” Ryouma called out as a gust of wind blew some of the pages out of his grasp. Trying to grab them in mid air, he ended up dropping several of the other books he had stacked on top of each other.

Takatora couldn’t help but laugh as he went to gather the runaway pages. Two landed just on the pathway in front of him and the remaining few caught on the edges of the neatly trimmed bushes. "Here," Takatora moved over to Ryouma who tried to balance the books back in his hands. "Let me carry half."

"No, it's fine, really. I can manage," Ryouma replied, but he still looked to be struggling.

"Stop being so stubborn, already," Takatora chuckled as he took the top half of books from Ryouma; his arms too full that he couldn't protest further.

"Thanks,” Ryouma followed Takatora out onto the paved stones back up to the main building, walking a few paces behind. “Hey,” he called out, waiting for Takatora to turn around before stopping. “You said your father wants you to study all the time, right?

“Yeah…” Takatora hesitated, feeling a small pang of regret ripple through him. _Maybe I shouldn’t have said so much… I’ve only just met him, really._ But a part of Takatora was thankful he was able to let his guard down around Ryouma.

“Well… I mean you can say no, of course. This is just an idea… But what if I helped you? Like, if we studied together or something. Maybe I’d be able to focus more and I could help you out if you need it.”

“You’d do that?”

“Sure. You’ve helped me enough already, it’s only fair,” he smiled. “There’s a library here at the school, isn’t there?

"Hm, there is, but I don't know if that'd work. We wouldn't be able to talk much; the librarians are notoriously strict on that rule.” Takatora paused, trying to think of what other options were available. “…Why don't you come over to my house sometime?"

"Oh, are you sure..?" the thought of going to the house of the family who held near enough complete control over the towering city was daunting, almost overwhelming.

"It's empty most of the time, so we wouldn't be disturbed. My father’s rarely home and my brother would be busy with his tutor for most of the evening,” Takatora reassured him.

"Well, okay then,” Ryouma finally agreed. “That sounds great.”

"Good. Well, we better get going," Takatora glanced back to his watch for the second time, “just a few more minutes now."

Ryouma nodded and walked beside Takatora the remainder of the way to class.

 

* * *

 

"Have you heard of the Kureshima family?" Ryouma asked casually, bringing the bowl of rice up to his lips.

The elderly women’s head jerked up at the mention of the name, but she remained silent.

"You know them?" Ryouma asked again, as he tilted his head back slightly and used his chopsticks to spoon the rice into his mouth.

She shook her head, "no, sorry, dear. Who are they?"

"They own the company that runs the city, Yggdrasill." Ryouma finished the bowl and sat it down on the table, balancing his chopsticks across the top.

"Ah, right, that must be why I recognised the name. I must have heard it off the television before," she smiled sweetly to her grandson and turned back to her food. "Well, what about them? I'm guessing you asked for a reason?"

"You remember last week when someone from school paid for our shopping?" he tried to refresh his gran's memory.

"Ah, yes, I remember. Your new friend, right?" she said teasingly with a wide grin, trying to wind Ryouma up.

"His name's Takatora, Kureshima Takatora."

"Oh, I see," she still smiled, but realised her attempts to annoy him had failed; in fact, he barely seemed bothered by the comment.

"He's invited me over to his house to study sometime. Is that alright?"

"Of course it is, dear. Why ever would it not be?"

“Well, I just wanted to check it was alright first,” Ryouma added, before proceeding to tell his gran all about his new friend. As he spoke excitedly about him, he noticed his gran didn’t seem to be paying full attention, as if there was something on her mind stopping her from focusing. “…Gran, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine, dear, it’s nothing,” she smiled sweetly.

Ryouma leant back against the chair; the sudden pause from his excited ramblings gave him time to think. Talking about his new friend’s family made him think about his own briefly. "Have... have they phoned today?" Ryouma ask quietly, raising his head to watch closely for his gran’s reaction. He already knew the answer, but he still had to ask.

She couldn’t meet his gaze and simply shook her head, thin strands of frail, white hair swaying ever so slightly at the motion.

Ryouma looked down into his empty bowl, a single grain of rice remaining.

She placed her hand gently over the top of his as it rested on the table. No words left her lips as she rubbed her thumb along the back of Ryouma's hand; his skin so clear and youthful in comparison.

Ryouma watched for few seconds before sliding his hand out from underneath delicate hold. "I'll do the washing up, now,” he announced, saying nothing more as he dragged himself up from the kitchen chair, collecting the small bowls and plates from the table and moved over towards the sink.

The woman sat motionless as the noise of the sink running echoed around the small flat. There was a silence between them, neither saying anything, with their backs to each other. Ryouma had scrubbed several plates clean before the elderly woman finally spoke.

“They must be busy today,” she tried her best to sound as positive as she could. “You know what the shop gets like this time of year; they’ll be busy with the fertilising the crops. Maybe they’ll find time at the weekend.”

Ryouma knew she was only trying to make him feel better, but her optimism was useless when faced with reality. Her words were meaningless. They both knew them untrue. “It’s fine.”

The woman opened her mouth a final time before realising there was nothing more she could say. Rising from her seat, slowly and to the sound of creaking bones, she made her way to where Ryouma stood and placed a hand sympathetically on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, dear.”

“It’s fine.” Ryouma repeated the same phrase again. He liked that phrase the most. It was universally known as a lie, but everyone would play along with the assumption it was true. And there never really was anything anyone can say after it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the month long delay. I gave up then un-gave up. Hopefully I can carry on with this again..

“Oh, come on, that one’s obvious!”

“…You always say that,” Takatora grumbled as he leant back against his chair, letting Ryouma grab a hold of the textbook and pull it closer across the desk for him to see.

“Look,” Ryouma said, shifting his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, “it really is simple.” He picked up his pen and used it to point at the page. He talked through the answer to the question in great detail, becoming more animated in his movements as he spoke, flicking back through to earlier pages and pointing out bits of relevance.

Takatora wasn’t really paying full attention to the lecture, aimlessly letting thoughts fill his head. He watched as Ryouma continued to explain, beginning to think about how much the boy had changed over the past month or so. Well, maybe not changed… Opened up, perhaps? In the beginning he didn’t want to know anyone and practically refused any attempt at a conversation, but now he was openly laughing at Takatora and lecturing him on a question he probably should have known the answer to. He seemed much more relaxed now, not as awkward and uncomfortable as before. It was almost funny to think about what he was like just a few months prior. The first time he came to the mansion, he awkwardly stood in every doorway, needing some kind of permission or assurance that it’s okay to enter each room. Maybe telling him everything about his family all at once made him more on edge, it was understandable. Ryouma was getting better around the maids and butlers, too. Allowing them to take care of his school bag or books as he walked through the door-

“Do you get it now?” 

Ryouma voice pierced through his thoughts and Takatora took a few moments to register the question. “Oh, yeah, thanks…” He sat up straighter in his chair and gazed down at the mess of notes Ryouma had scrawled out across a spare sheet of paper. “How do you know all this stuff, anyway? Did you get taught it all at your last school?”

Ryouma laughed, shaking his head. “No, I didn’t. I guess I just understand it somehow.”

“Because you’re a genius,” Takatora grumbled again, trying to refocus his attention once more to the work in front of him, leaning an elbow against the wooden surface of his desk as he hunched over the book. He didn’t get enough sleep last night for some reason and a full day of school left him feeling drained. Still, he had to study.

Ryouma rose from his chair and made his way over to the bed, spinning in a full circle once before he flopped down onto it. The soft, almost fuzzy texture of the velvet covers softened the blow beneath him. Spraying his hands out to the sides, he grasped the deep purple material between his fingers, letting it lightly tickle against his skin. He let out a small sigh of satisfaction.

“Don’t you have your own studying to do, too?” Takatora continued in his dreary tone, slightly annoyed at how relaxed Ryouma was, considering his own current state of exhaustion.

“Hm?” Ryouma stretched out across the bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge, swinging them playfully. “Your bed’s too comfy to worry about studying. Besides, it’s you that has to study, right? I’m just here for… moral support!”

Takatora didn’t need to face Ryouma to tell there was a huge grin across his face. “If you say so…” Nevertheless, he let his concentration slip as he spotted textbook, for a different subject to the one he was currently studying, on the corner of the desk. “Here, you can read this.” He threw the book behind him in a swift movement, hearing it thud onto the bed beside his friend.

Ryouma sat up slightly and took a hold of the book in his hands, flicking through the pages but clearly not reading a single word written. He waited a few moments before speaking. “Hey… Why don’t we take a break? Go get some food or something?”

“We only took a break just a little while ago. If you’re hungry, ask the cooks to make you something, you know they will.”

Ryouma rested the book beside him, leaning back on his forearms to prop himself upright. “Do you even really need to be studying now, anyway? I mean it’s the summer holidays soon. You might as well just relax for a while.”

“You know I can’t,” Takatora stated clearly, still sat with his back to Ryouma, reading through yet another page of mathematics problems. Probably not the most interesting of topics to choose, especially when he was feeling this exhausted. The numbers all seemed to blur together across the page and his eyes struggled to focus.

As Ryouma sighed, the soft pat of his body falling back down onto the bed caused Takatora to turn. He watched as his friend picked up the textbook he just gave to him, opened it roughly to the middle and spread the book across his face. Takatora couldn’t help but smile despite his sour mood. Maybe I should stop for now…

A loud knock at the door drew his attention.

“You can come in,” Takatora announced, turning back to his work, assuming it to be the house staff offering light refreshments or snacks, as they tended to do whenever Ryouma was over.

The handle creaked loudly as the door swung open, bringing a gust of air into the room. The usual greeting from the staff - a small “sorry for disturbing you” - seemed to be somewhat more delayed than usual. In fact, it never came. The mix of silence and the sound of footsteps striding into the room caused Takatora’s full attention to turn towards the man standing just inside the doorway.

“F-Father, what are you doing here?” Takatora jumped up from his seat, greeting his father with a flustered bow, and remained standing, albeit much stiffer than normal.

Ryouma peaked out from underneath the book, using one hand to lift the object up far enough to see out. His eyes widened when he saw the powerful figure stood tall in the doorway. Quickly scrambling to his feet, he smoothed down his uniform and preened his hair back to a presentable state. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to remove the flushed expression from his face. Luckily, the man’s attentions seemed solely focused on his son.

“It is my house. Am I not permitted to be here?” his father’s voice seemed to echo around the walls when he spoke, annunciating all his words clearly. 

“I... I didn’t mean it like that,” he bowed again apologetically. “You’re not normally home this early.” Takatora tried to soothe over his initial outburst, not wanting to be scolded for being unable to hold his tongue.

His father ignored his son’s reply and took a few more paces into the room, over towards the bed. “Ah, you must be Sengoku Ryouma, I assume?” He looked over expectantly towards to boy who now stood uncomfortably at the foot of the bed. He knew the answer, yet he still waited for a response.

“Y-Yes, sir…” Ryouma bowed slightly, trying to mimic Takatora’s earlier actions. It didn’t look quite natural for him to do. His nerves were painfully obvious.

“Are you settling in well at our school? Everything is up to a fine standard, I hope,” the man continued.

“Ah…Yes, thank you. It’s a wonderful school…” Ryouma glanced over towards Takatora, desperation showing on his face, clearly wishing he would say something to make the situation less tense.

Takatora remained silent, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Good. I’m glad. I should also thank you for helping my son study these past few weeks. I have heard word from my house staff that you have been frequenting here most evenings. It will help him greatly for his final exams,” he nodded in respect.

“Oh, no, it’s- it’s fine, really. I’m happy to help.”

“Right, well if there’s anything you need, just let Takatora know and we can sort it.”

“Yes, thank you, sir,” Ryouma bowed one final time as the man turned away from him, walking back towards the door.

He paused briefly beside his son, giving him some kind of look that Takatora couldn’t quite read. As his father left the room, Takatora still remained standing.

There was silence for a few moments, even after the door was firmly shut and footsteps echoing away down the halls announced the man’s departure.

Takatora let himself slump back down into his chair and let out a sigh. He felt so sluggish all of a sudden, as if his fatigue had finally caught up with him, becoming more intense than before. He managed to lift his head up enough to turn and watch as Ryouma slowly sat down onto the edge of his bed. It looked as if all the tension had suddenly left his body, like someone letting the air out of a balloon close to bursting.

“Is your father like that with everyone? So…” Ryouma trailed off, not quite sure how to finish that sentence. He was aware he probably shouldn’t.

Takatora thought for a moment, trying to process his thoughts on what just happened, before finally shaking his head. “No… well, I… I don’t think so…” He sat still for a few more seconds, watching Ryouma as he eventually started to relax further. “Anyway, I should probably carry on with this work,” he turned back round in his chair, determined to continue, even if his arm seemed to protest to him doing so much as picking up his pen. His body felt as if it was moving in slow motion.

“You’re still going to work? Come on, already, you’ve done enough for today, surely?” Ryouma lent back once more on his arms, letting his legs dangle just above the floor.

“No… just a little longer.”


End file.
